Herbert Arnould Olivier

By descent through the Olivier family

Royal Academy, 1902, no. 168;
Southport, 1902;
Bermondsey Settlement, Picture Exhibition;
Buenos Aires, Royal British Colonial Society of Artists, International Exhibition, 1910, no. 1;
Rome, Royal Commission International Fine Arts Exhibition, 1911;
White City, Latin British Exhibition, 1912;
Paris, Societe des Artistes Francais, Pictures Exhibition, 1924;
London, Royal Institute Galleries, War Groups, Portraits and other Paintings, 1935, no. 219  

STRUCTURE This picture is unlined and in very good condition with strong colours throughout. There are areas of very fine craquelure but this is only visible upon close inspection. There are light frame abrasions at the extreme edges. The picture may benefit from a light clean as there is light surface dirt. UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT Ultraviolet light reveals an area of retouching in the lower left corner just above the signature and further flecks of cosmetic retouching to the sitter's face. FRAME This picture is contained in its original carved wood frame (in fair condition).
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Wild snakes-head fritillary, primroses, cow-slips and cow parsley are in full bloom beneath an apple tree laden with rosy blossom. The flowers of spring have spread a carpet of yellow and pink flowers over a riverside meadow where a pretty blonde girl dressed in a diaphanous ivory and coral gown strolls, dreams and smiles in the sunshine of a perfect spring day.

When the picture was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1902 it was given the title of Summer is Icumen In, being the first line of a traditional English song known from a thirteenth century manuscript at Reading Abbey:

Summer is icumen in,
Loudly sing, Cuckoo!
The seed grows and the meadow blooms
And the wood springs anew,
Sing, Cuckoo!    

The song describes the approach of summer and the glories of the reawakening of nature after the somnolence of winter. Olivier therefore used the symbolism to create a painting imbibed with the symbolism of abundance, fertility and rebirth. The subject of Primavera and of Persephone, the Greek Goddess of Spring was popular in the twentieth century as an allegory of rebirth, of the optimism for a new century. John William Waterhouse painted a series of pictures loosely based around the story of Persephone's return from the Underworld to rejoin her mother Demeter and herald the oncoming summer, with pale-limbed maidens wandering through Elysian fields. Waterhouse's Spring Spreads one Green Lap of Flowers (sold in these rooms, 28 November 2002, lot 29) exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1910 bears comparison with Olivier's painting, both pictures portraying a girl in pink robes in a riverside meadow in spring.